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Monday the 22nd of February 2010

Welcome to the Helpforce Daily Briefing, on Monday the 22nd of February 2010

1. Virus Warnings
2. Daily Technology News
3. Latest Shareware and Freeware
4. FAQ for the day
5. Advice of the day
6. Internet Advice

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1. Latest Virus Alerts From Sophos
---------------------------------------
Troj/Agent-MNE on 22 February 2010 10:20:11 Z
http://www.sophos.com/security/analyses/viruses-and-spyware/trojagentmne.html?_log_from=rss
Troj/Agent-MNW on 22 February 2010 07:45:07 Z
http://www.sophos.com/security/analyses/viruses-and-spyware/trojagentmnw.html?_log_from=rss
Troj/Bredo-BE on 22 February 2010 07:45:07 Z
http://www.sophos.com/security/analyses/viruses-and-spyware/trojbredobe.html?_log_from=rss
Troj/BredoZp-Z on 22 February 2010 07:45:07 Z
http://www.sophos.com/security/analyses/viruses-and-spyware/trojbredozpz.html?_log_from=rss
Troj/VB-ENI on 22 February 2010 05:54:36 Z
http://www.sophos.com/security/analyses/viruses-and-spyware/trojvbeni.html?_log_from=rss
Troj/Agent-MNV on 22 February 2010 02:54:18 Z
http://www.sophos.com/security/analyses/viruses-and-spyware/trojagentmnv.html?_log_from=rss
W32/Autorun-AZU on 22 February 2010 00:09:56 Z
http://www.sophos.com/security/analyses/viruses-and-spyware/w32autorunazu.html?_log_from=rss
W32/Koobface-AJ on 22 February 2010 00:09:56 Z
http://www.sophos.com/security/analyses/viruses-and-spyware/w32koobfaceaj.html?_log_from=rss
Troj/Agent-MMG on 21 February 2010 21:14:58 Z
http://www.sophos.com/security/analyses/viruses-and-spyware/trojagentmmg.html?_log_from=rss
Troj/Agent-MMI on 21 February 2010 21:14:58 Z
http://www.sophos.com/security/analyses/viruses-and-spyware/trojagentmmi.html?_log_from=rss

2. Latest Technology News From Slashdot
-----------------------------------------------

-- Chuck Norris Attacks Linux-Based Routers, Modems
(http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/zJZ0RT0IQyc/Chuck-Norris-Attacks-Linux-Based-Routers-Modems)
angry tapir writes "Discovered by Czech researchers, the Chuck Norris botnet has been spreading by taking advantage of poorly configured routers and DSL modems. The malware got the Chuck Norris moniker from a programmer's Italian comment in its source code: 'in nome di Chuck Norris,' which means 'in the name of Chuck Norris.' Chuck Norris is unusual in that it infects DSL modems and routers rather than PCs. It installs itself on routers and modems by guessing default administrative passwords and taking advantage of the fact that many devices are configured to allow remote access."Read more of this story at Slashdot.

-- Free Software Foundation Urges Google To Free VP8
(http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/1F3hnykOHIs/Free-Software-Foundation-Urges-Google-To-Free-VP8)
jamesswift writes "The FSF have written an open letter to Google urging them to free the VP8 codec with an irrevocable royalty-free licence: 'With its purchase of the On2 video compression technology company having been completed on Wednesday February 16, 2010, Google now has the opportunity to make free video formats the standard, freeing the web from both Flash and the proprietary H.264 codec.'"

Also from the letter: "The world would have a new free format unencumbered by software patents. Viewers, video creators, free software developers, hardware makers -- everyone -- would have another way to distribute video without patents, fees, and restrictions. The free video format Ogg Theora was already at least as good for web video (see a comparison) as its nonfree competitor H.264, and we never did agree with your objections to using it. But since you made the decision to purchase VP8, presumably you're confident it can meet even those objections, and using it on YouTube is a no-brainer."Read more of this story at Slashdot.

-- Why Are There No Popular Ultima Online-Like MMOs?
(http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/czJ08nwCoeU/Why-Are-There-No-Popular-emUltima-Onlineem-Like-MMOs)
eldavojohn writes "I have a slightly older friend who played through the glory days of Ultima Online. Yes, their servers are still up and running, but he often waxes nostalgic about certain gameplay functions of UO that he misses. I must say that these aspects make me smile and wonder what it would be like to play in such a world — things like housing, thieving and looting that you don't see in the most popular massively multiplayer online games like World of Warcraft. So, I've followed him through a few games, including Darkfall and now Mortal Online. And these (seemingly European developed) games are constantly fading into obscurity and never catching hold. We constantly move from one to the next. Does anyone know of a popular three-dimensional game that has UO-like rules and gameplay? Perhaps one that UO players gravitated to after leaving UO? If you think that the very things that have been removed (housing and thieving would be two good topics) caused WoW to become the most popular MMO, why is that? Do UO rules not translate well to a true 3D environment? Are people incapable of planning for corpse looting? Are players really that inept that developers don't want to leave us in control of risk analysis? I'm familiar with the Bartle Test but if anyone could point me to more resources as to why Killer-oriented games have faded out of popularity, I'd be interested."Read more of this story at Slashdot.

-- Real-Life Equivalents of Video Game Weapons
(http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/ZvGymxYoDFU/Real-Life-Equivalents-of-Video-Game-Weapons)
antdude writes "This GamesRadar article compares a bunch of fantastic video game weapons and their real-life equivalents: 'There are certain things we just accept in video games. An overweight pipe technician can jump five times his own height. A first aid kit will instantly heal bullet wounds and replace lost blood. And any theoretical physics model can be cleanly packaged into a lightweight, handheld weapon with a minimum of fuss. But in certain cases, that last one isn't too far off the truth. As guano loopy as most game weaponry is, some of it definitely isn't implausible. In fact, some of it exists already. Kind of.'"Read more of this story at Slashdot.

-- Grimmelmann On Google Books Settlement Fairness Hearing
(http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/OuA-hb-7qgc/Grimmelmann-On-Google-Books-Settlement-Fairness-Hearing)
somanyrobots writes with an excerpt from New York Law School professor James Grimmelmann's cogent report from Friday's fairness hearing about the current Google Books Library Project settlement agreement. That agreement has been proposed to resolve the dispute between Google and various rights holders about Google's plan to scan and electronically distribute many written works, included "orphan" works.

"I was at the courthouse from 8:30 onwards, with the team of New York Law School students who've been working on the Public Index. We didn't want to take any chances that we might not make it in. (Last time, we were among the very last people seated.) No worries there; we got great seats in the overflow room, and in the afternoon, in the courtroom itself. I'm very glad I had the student team along with me. Their observations and insights about the arguments and the lawyers were invaluable in helping me write up this post. Other than my conversation with them, I've avoided reading the press coverage; I wanted to provide a direct account of how I saw the day's events, without being influenced by others' takes."Read more of this story at Slashdot.

-- Things To Look For In a Web Hosting Company?
(http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/S-rdiHFxrGI/Things-To-Look-For-In-a-Web-Hosting-Company)
v1x writes "I have had an account with my current web hosting company for a few years, with 3 domains being hosted there (using Linux/PHP/MySQL). Recently, all three of these websites stopped functioning, and upon checking the site, all my directory structures were intact, whereas all of the files were gone. Upon contacting their technical support, I was given the run-around, and later informed by one of their administrators that none of the files could be restored. Needless to say that I am looking for a different web hosting company at this point, but I would like to make a more informed choice than I did with the current company. I have read a similar Slashdot article (from 2005) on the topic, but the questions posed there were slightly different."

Reader mrstrano has a similar question: "I am developing a web application and, after registering the domain, I am now looking for a suitable web hosting provider.
It should be cheap enough so I can start small, but should allow me to scale up if the web site is successful (as I hope).
The idea is simple enough so I do not need other investors to implement it. This also means that I don't have a lot of money to put on it
at the moment.
Users of the website will post their pictures (no, it's not going to be a porn website), so scalability might be an issue even with a moderately high
number of users.
I would like to find a good web hosting provider from day one, so I don't have to go through the pain of a data migration.
Which web host would you choose?"Read more of this story at Slashdot.

-- Windows 7 Memory Usage Critic Outed As Fraud
(http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/NWY4kyavsPI/Windows-7-Memory-Usage-Critic-Outed-As-Fraud)
A few days ago, we ran word of a report alleging that Windows 7 consumed more memory than it should, based on a report from Devil Mountain Software; a followup post linked to Ars Technica's robust deconstruction of that claim. Now the story gets weird: Fred Flowers writes The original story quoted the company's CTO, Craig Barth on the issue. Now, InfoWorld editor in chief Eric Knorr has still more to add. From Knorr's blog at InfoWorld.com: 'On Friday, Feb. 19, we discovered that one of our contributors, Randall C. Kennedy, had been misrepresenting himself to other media organizations as Craig Barth, CTO of Devil Mountain Software (aka exo.performance.network), in interviews for a number of stories regarding Windows and other Microsoft software topics. ... There is no Craig Barth.' Knorr's post goes on to say that Kennedy has been fired from his blogging gig at InfoWorld over this 'serious breach of trust,' and that his blog will be removed."Read more of this story at Slashdot.

-- ACTA Internet Chapter Leaked — Bad For Everyone
(http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/qloImx3giDI/ACTA-Internet-Chapter-Leaked-mdash-Bad-For-Everyone)
roju writes "Cory Doctorow is reporting on a leaked copy of the 'internet enforcement' portion of the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement. He describes it as reading like a 'DMCA-plus' with provisions for third-party liability, digital locks, and 'a duty to technology firms to shut down infringement where they have "actual knowledge" that such is taking place.' For example, this could mean legal responsibility shifting to Apple for customers copying mp3s onto their iPods." Adds an anonymous reader, "Michael Geist points out that the leaks demonstrate that ACTA would create a Global DMCA and move toward a three-strikes-and-you're-out system. While the US has claimed that ACTA won't establish a mandatory three strikes system, it specifically uses three-strikes as its model."Read more of this story at Slashdot.

-- After 2 Years of Development, LTSP 5.2 Is Out
(http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/Nuv1OliP_MM/After-2-Years-of-Development-LTSP-52-Is-Out)
The Linux Terminal Server Project has for years been simplifying the task of time-sharing a Linux system by means of X terminals (including repurposed low-end PCs). Now, stgraber writes "After almost two years or work and 994 commits later made by only 14 contributors, the LTSP team is proud to announce that the Linux Terminal Server Project project released LTSP 5.2 on Wednesday the 17th of February. As the LTSP team wanted this release to be some kind of a reference point in LTSP's history, LDM (LTSP Display Manager) 2.1 and LTSPfs 0.6 were released on the same day. Packages for LTSP 5.2, LDM 2.1 and LTSPfs 0.6 are already in Ubuntu Lucid and a backport for Karmic is available. For other distributions, packages should be available very soon. And the upstream code is, as always, available on Launchpad."Read more of this story at Slashdot.

-- What Happens In Vegas Happens In Afghanistan
(http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/CVLltkkLi8w/What-Happens-In-Vegas-Happens-In-Afghanistan)
theodp writes "After the morning commute from his Las Vegas apartment, Air Force captain Sam Nelson sits in a padded chair inside a low, tan building in Nevada, controlling a heavily armed drone aircraft soaring over Afghanistan, prepared to kill another human being 7,500 miles away if necessary. Welcome to the surreal world of drone pilots, who have a front-row seat on war from half a world away. 'On the drive out here, you get yourself ready to enter the compartment of your life that is flying combat,' explained retired Col. Chris Chambliss. 'And on the drive home, you get ready for that part of your life that's going to be the soccer game.' No wonder why the Air Force is interested in the Xbox LIVE crowd and the Army's opened a new arcade recruitment center!"Read more of this story at Slashdot.

-- PA School Defends Web-Cam Spying As Security Measure, Denies Misuse
(http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/JHM3m2ubYIU/PA-School-Defends-Web-Cam-Spying-As-Security-Measure-Denies-Misuse)
tekgoblin writes "The Lower Merion School District of Pennsylvania was recently accused of privacy invasion. Now the school has released an official response to the allegations. According to the school, the security feature was installed in the laptops as an anti-theft device and was not intended to invade privacy. The software that was installed would take a photo of the person using the laptop after it was stolen to give to the authorities. Now this may be what it was intended for, but it seems that someone didn't get the memo."
The district's claim that it "has not used the tracking feature or web cam for any other purpose or in any other manner whatsoever" doesn't square with the allegations which set off this whole storm. And if there was nothing wrong with it, why does the school say it won't start using the snooping feature again without "express written notification to all students and families"?Read more of this story at Slashdot.

-- Twitter Hit By BZPharma LOL Phishing Attack
(http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/qURDP5lHiws/Twitter-Hit-By-BZPharma-LOL-Phishing-Attack)
An anonymous reader writes "Twitter users are being warned not to click on messages saying "'ol, this is funny,' as they can lead to their account details being stolen. A widespread attack has hit Twitter this weekend, tricking users into logging into a fake Twitter page — and thus handing their account details over to hackers. Messages include Lol. this is me?? / lol , this is funny. / ha ha, u look funny on here / Lol. this you?? followed by a link in the form of http://example/ [dot] com/?rid=http://twitter.verify.bzpharma [dot] net/login, where 'example.com' can vary. Clicking on the link redirects users to the second-half of the link, where the fake login page is hosted. In a video and blog entry, computer security firm Sophos is warning users that it is not just Twitter direct messages (DMs) that carry the poisoned links, but they are appearing on public profiles due to services such as GroupTweet which republish direct messages. Sophos also reports that the site being used for the Twitter phishing has also been constructed to steal information from users of the Bebo social network. Affected users are advised to change their passwords immediately."Read more of this story at Slashdot.

-- Why You Can't Pry IE6 Out of Their Cold, Dead Hands
(http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/OyeZJMAZpNY/Why-You-Cant-Pry-IE6-Out-of-Their-Cold-Dead-Hands)
Esther Schindler writes "It's easy for techies to enumerate the reasons that Internet Explorer 6 should die. Although the percentage of users who use IE6 has dropped to about 12%, many web developers are forced to make sure their websites work with the ancient browser (which presents additional problems, such as keeping their companies from upgrading to newer versions of Windows). But rather than indulge in an emotional rant, in 'Why You Can't Pry IE6 Out Of Their Cold Dead Hands,' I set about to find out why the companies that remain standardized on IE6 haven't upgraded (never mind to what). In short: user and business-owner ignorance and/or disinterest in new technology; being stuck with a critical business app that relies on IE6; finding a budget to update internal IE6 apps that will work the same as they used to; and keeping users away from newer Web 2.0 sites."Read more of this story at Slashdot.

-- Why Flash Is Fundamentally Flawed On Touchscreen Devices
(http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/CkNWaccwT8E/Why-Flash-Is-Fundamentally-Flawed-On-Touchscreen-Devices)
An anonymous reader passes along this excerpt from Roughly Drafted:
"I'm a full-time Flash developer and I'd love to get paid to make Flash sites for the iPad. I want that to make sense — but it doesn't. Flash on the iPad will not (and should not) happen — and the main reason, as I see it, is one that never gets talked about: current Flash sites could never be made to work well on any touchscreen device, and this cannot be solved by Apple, Adobe, or magical new hardware. That's not because of slow mobile performance, battery drain or crashes. It's because of the hover or mouseover problem. ... All that Apple and Adobe could ever do is make current Flash content visible. It would be seen, but very often would not work."Read more of this story at Slashdot.

-- Our Low-Tech Tax Code
(http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/xSdDQnckZR4/Our-Low-Tech-Tax-Code)
theodp writes "After establishing that nothing can excuse Joe Stack's murderous intentional plane crash into an IRS office, a NY Times Op-Ed explains the reference in Stack's suicide note to an obscure federal tax law — Section 1706 of the 1986 tax act — which the software engineer claimed declared him a 'criminal and non-citizen slave' and ruined his career. Interestingly, a decade-old NY Times article on Section 1706 pretty much agreed: 'The immediate effect of these [Section 1706] audits is to force individual programmers ... to abandon their dreams of getting rich off their high-technology skills.' Section 1706, the NYT Op-Ed concludes, 'is an example of how Congress enacted a discriminatory law that hurt thousands of technology consultants, their staffing firms and customers. And despite strong bipartisan efforts and unbiased studies supporting that law's repeal, it remains on the books.'"Read more of this story at Slashdot.

3. Latest Shareware from Planet-Shareware
-----------------------------------------------

4. FAQ of the day from Helpforce
-----------------------------------------------

-- What is PHP and MySQL and should my web host have them?
(http://www.helpforce.com)

Question: I am thinking of making a web page and they have a requirement of my Web Server to have "PHP software and MySQL database" I have no idea what this is.Does Asis have this?Thank you,Joyce

Answer: Firstly, webpages are generally written in HTML, which is the language which you would be writting in (or generating with Frontpage etc...) HTML is generally enough initially to create a good looking webpage, although it does have its limits, which become more apparent when you start doing more advanced things, which is what PHP tries to address.PHP (which stands for Hypertext Preprocessor) allows for dynamic generation of HTML. So, for example if you have users entering data, then PHP can be used to process this data and incoperate it into another page.... it could be used for a forum, to allow for users buying items etc... There are another other languages which perform similar functions, but PHP is one of the more powerful ones yet easy to learn, and so has become very popular. Its website can be found at www.php.netMySQL is a database system. If you wish to store data, such as forum postings, user names, customer addresses etc... then a database is the way to go, as it allows for easy storage and organisation of the data. Im not sure if you have heard of Microsoft Access, in the Office suite - that is a common database too. However, MySQL is a lot more designed for the internet and can be used with PHP to easily save and retrieve data.As far as the need for them goes, they are prety much standard on all good hosts (although the free ones such as yahoo, angelfire etc do not provide them) and Asis does provide them when you sign up. You may not think you require them at the moment, but as your skill increases you may find you do, and a number of installable scripts (such as forums) can often require them.

5. Advice of the Day from ask-leo
-----------------------------------------------

6. Internet Advice
-----------------------------------------------

-- What Americans Are Googling(http://netforbeginners.about.com/b/a/258324.htm)

Are you curious what people in the USA are searching for in Google? What is front of mind for Americans as they Google the World Wide Web? Here is an...

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